Environmental ScientistWhat type of job are you looking for? I am looking for employment in the conservation field of tropical rainforest. Specifically, sustainable agroforestry and emergent adaptation and mitigation to a changing climate. What nationality are you? American. What languages do you speak (and at what level)? Spanish-Conversational What country or area are you looking to work in and why? I am primarily looking for employment in tropical forested areas with communities with low-adaptation and mitigation strategies to build sustainable agroforestry techniques, while helping foster a relationship between ecosystem services and economic and environmental gradients. What countries have you worked in? Germany. Portugal. Belize. Chile. What countries do you have a visa to work in? Currently I do not have any visas. What field do you currently work in? Environmental engineering and surveying. What fields have you worked in before? Environmental education. Environmental scientist for the military. Pharmaceutical toxicologist. What qualifications do you hold? B.S. in Environmental Conservation and Biology from Northern Michigan University. M.A. in Environmental Studies and Sustainble Development and Policy from University of Illinois Springfield. Second year Graduate Student. Which do you consider more valuable? Formal education or skills and why? I value both education and skills. Developing skills and correlating them with education are both valuable qualities, therefore being well-rounded in both education and skills are synergistic. Describe the benefits of working with others Working with others can proliferate different idealogical thoughts and create different avenues in accomplishing certain task. Describe the benefits of working alone Working alone allows a person to use and incorporate their own cognitive thought processes and expertise in solving problems. Self management is beneficial depending on what type of job is being performed. Structual hierarchies in work places can cause conflictions and hinder ones expertise as differences in thoughts and values are often manifested. What was your worst working experience? I worked for an animal research firm in pharmaceutical development as a toxicologist. Working with several hundred animals on a daily basis as they were subjected to experimental pharmaceutical products was difficult to rationalize as many animals throughout the process died as a result of toxicity and exposure to pharmaceutical products. What is the most important lesson you have learnt throughout your career? You can hire someone who has all the right qualifications and answers all the questions as rehearsed. However, I am a type of person who is a realist in honesty. We can all script answers to interview questions, because we are telling the employer what they want to hear. Think outside the box in interviews, be yourself and be creative instead of a robot. What unique skills do you have? Besides having a B.S. in Environmental Conservation and Biology and working on a M.A. in Environmental Studies, I served in the United States Army for 6 years and spent two years in Special Operations with a unit that specialized in Weapons of Mass Destruction. I also am a Certified Advanced Hazardous Materials Technician. What would you consider as your 'dream job'? Traveling around the world conducting research and writing journal articles. What are the most interesting aspects of your field? The environment provides all of our current resources that we use today. However, as expanding populations stress out natural resources, we need to learn sustainable management techniques to provide for future generations. What are the least interesting aspects of your field? Environmental science is very limiting, it has an extremely small niche within the world. Everyday we hear about environmental problems and climate changing events, yet we continue to do nothing about them. Do you want to hire someone who is robotic and rehearsed with interviews? The interview process does not tell a lot about someone. We use predictive indexes, certain sets of questions and rating schemes. The best interviews are casual conversations where ideas flow back and forth. Rehearsed questions and robotic, "tell what they want to hear responses" are mundane and predictive. How can potential employers contact you? bwarm2@uis.edu | 
